Quinoa Recipes

By Wendy Polisi on March 2010

Thanks for stopping by to check out our quinoa recipes. If you haven’t yet tried quinoa, you will not be disappointed. Cooking quinoa is simple and fun! Just because it is so good for you does not mean that it does not also taste great! Quinoa can be used in a wide variety of recipes – from simple to gourmet. You can find a quinoa recipe to please anyone – even my picky preschooler’s love to eat it! Regardless of whether you are a die hard vegan or a meat lover, quinoa is a great addition to your diet. In fact, some health experts believe that it is the most perfect plant based protein that exists on the planet!

Here are my picks for my favorite quinoa recipes, or you can browse the full collection below.

Top 10 Recipes with Quinoa

Quinoa Patties
Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Lentil Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing
Quinoa and Black Beans
Veggie Burger Recipe
Quinoa Risotto
Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Tomato Feta Quinoa Pilaf
Balsamic Quinoa Salad
Goat Cheese Risotto

My Favorite Non-Quinoa Recipe on the Site
Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

One of my favorite things about quinoa is that are just so many ways that it can be prepared! I love to eat quinoa in the morning, because it is a great way to start the day. There are just so many great quinoa breakfast recipes out there! Quinoa is just as great for lunch and dinner. In the summer, I practically live on quinoa salad. In the winter when I need something to keep me warm, I very often turn to quinoa soup! I also really love stir fry recipes made with quinoa.

If you are new to cooking quinoa, check out this post on how to cook quinoa perfectly! I have so many recipes and getting them online is a process. If you have a quinoa recipe that you would like to share or quinoa cooking tips, I would love to hear from you!

Basic Recipe

Before getting started cooking, one thing that you must remember is that it needs to be rinsed prior to cooking. The outside of quinoa is covered in a bitter substance called saponin. Not only is it very bitter to the taste but it can also cause digestive upset. If you are someone who has a very sensitive stomach, some health experts recommend soaking quinoa prior to rinsing. Soaking for 8 hours helps remove the phytic acid, which some believe causes problems with digestion.

Personally, I sometimes soak before cooking, but most of the time I don’t. I’ve never had an upset stomach from eating quinoa. If you do decide to soak, keep a close eye on it as it cooks. The seeds will be softer and it will not take as long to cook.

Most recipes call for a 1 to 2 ratio between quinoa and liquid.

I prefer to use 1 to 1.25 as the ratio.

So, for a cup of quinoa you will want to have 1 1/4 cups of liquid. Bring it to a simmer and then reduce to low. Cover and cook 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit covered for another 5 minutes.

Recipes

Easy Quinoa Recipes

Main Dishes

Quinoa Breakfast Recipes

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa Soup

Quinoa Pasta

Side Dishes

Stir Fry Recipes

Vegetarian Recipes

Other Recipes:

Black Bean Recipes

Broccoli Recipes

Hummus Recipes

Steak Recipes

Smoothie Recipes

Sweet Potato Recipes

Chicken Salad Recipes

Snacks

Quinoa Nutrition – The Reason Why Quinoa is so Good for You!

In case you didn’t know, one cup of cooked quinoa has just 220 calories. It provides your body with 8 grams of protein, and a whopping 5 grams of fiber. You can get just about all of the fiber that you need on a daily basis simply by teaming quinoa up with black bean recipes! Quinoa is a complete source of protein, meaning that it contains all of the amino acids that you need for optimum health.

Quinoa is a great meat-free alternative and perfect for those looking to improve their health by enjoying more meat free meals.

Other Recipes!

As we are growing Cooking Quinoa, I am slowly starting to publish some other recipes. Make sure you check out my eat clean hummus recipe! Yum!

If there is a specific type of recipe that you would like to see, I would love to hear from you. I’ve been creating my own recipes for over 10 years and love to share!

Want to share your best recipes? Please email me at wendy at wendypolisi dot com or leave a message below. Whether you are a home cook or a food blogger that would like to guest post, I would love to hear from you and share your recipes with my readers! (Just keep in mind – it may take me a while to get it up because I try to cook and photograph it first!) If you are a food blogger and would like to share, just email me so we can talk about guest blogging!